Japanese Leafs have better performance

It comes as no surprise that some of the vehicles are available exclusively on the local market.

For instance, The Volkswagen C Coupe GTE hybrid is available to buy only in China and the chances of you buying this vehicle somewhere in the U.S. or Europe are low as hell –at least, from the official dealers.

Luckily, Nissan Leaf is sold not only in Japan, but also in other countries as well.

However, the version that we have is limited –what a coming of age, isn’t it?

Let’s learn more about it.

2016 Nissan Leaf

As it turns out, the Japanese version of the Nissan Leaf has more juice that European and American versions.

The local version of the vehicle comes with the VCM (Vehicle Control Module), the emergency brake system --- has the ability to detect both cars and pedestrians (up to certain speeds) -- and lane departure warning.

That results in 174 miles (280 kilometers) of range – 62 percent more than the real world/EPA rating of 107 miles (172 kilometers) in the U.S.

New colors

Not only did the Nissan deprive us of improved performance, but also deprived us of some color options.

Nismo is offering a full body kit and more sports-tuning for the LEAF in either fiber-reinforced plastic or wet carbon starting at 785,400 yen (around $6,500) for the base FRP version and 995,400 yen (approximately $8,200) for the “wet carbon spec” trim level.

That’s what you’ll get for that price:

No need to buy the whole package

There is no need the buy everything.

If you’re interested in something in particular, then you can buy it separately.

For instance, if you are interested in just the performance improvement aspect of the Nismo, you can get your LEAF a new sport-tuned VCM (Vehicle Control Module) for a more thrifty 136,500 yen (1,100 dollars).

If you only want the aero kit, that comes to between 543,900 yen ($4,500) to 753,900($6,200).

Accessories

Accessories can be bought separately too.

Here’s what available to buy:

* carbon pillar garnish - $320;

* mirror cover-carbon - $300;

* multi-function hydrophilic coated mirrors - $200;

* floor mat set w/Nismo embroidery - $285.

Will we see all these cool features in Europe and the US?

Well, we don’t know.

Of course, Nissan Motor Corporation as well as Nismo promised to consider offering it cool amenities in other countries, but how it will be – only time will show.

Safety standards in the US and Europe are extremely rigorous and it’s extremely hard to match all the requirements.

Nonetheless, we do hope that authorities we’ll be lenient towards us and we’ll receive everything that Japanese drivers already have.